Protecting the public isn’t just about police powers

Writing on The Commentator, I argue that the police don’t need new powers, they need a new approach.

“Both Coalition parties repeatedly highlighted the proliferation of criminal offences and new powers introduced by the last government, and how such an approach made the police’s work harder by ‘rewriting the rule book’ repeatedly.

Less than 18 months after the election, they seem to have abandoned this outlook and are falling into the same trap as their predecessors.

David Cameron was absolutely right to argue that society is broken. He is absolutely wrong if he thinks a more authoritarian approach is part of the solution to fix it.”